


right now i need your hand

by remi_mae



Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Zero-One
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, not sure how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-28 18:37:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21141338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remi_mae/pseuds/remi_mae
Summary: Izu was probably Aruto's only friend, if he was going to be honest about it. Maybe it was a little sad that his assistant and secretary was his only real friend but it was also true. It also meant it hurt a lot more to see her hurt than it would if she was just his assistant.





	right now i need your hand

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this with the prompt "friends, harm & empathy" in mind, though didn't really work 'empathy' in there. That aside, I'm rather pleased with this. I have a bunch of fic ideas for Zero One I just... don't seem to be able to write them? (I started something like, right after watching the first episode with subs, and I still haven't finished it, despite it taking place right after the end of the first episode. I will finish it eventually, promise.)
> 
> I'm not... super sure how to tag this, honestly, so if there's anything you think I should tag, let me know? One day I'll figure out tagging. Today is not that day. Canon compliant up to episode 7, because I'm not touching the events of episode 8 until episode 9 comes out so we can find out what happened.
> 
> Title from TXT's Run Away (which I've been listening to on repeat since it came out. It's so good! Stan TXT!)

It was maybe a little bit on the sad side that Izu was probably Aruto's only real friend right now.

Even before his grandfather passed away and had named him as the next president and CEO of Hiden Intelligence, Aruto just... hadn't really had many friends. He was the class clown in high school, had been in the comedy club (that admittedly consisted of like, five people including the teacher) but he hadn't really had any real friends. People would talk to him in school, but he never hung out with people outside of school. Maybe some of it had to do with his family name, and maybe he pushed people away a little because of that - after all, there had been people who only wanted to know him because of who his grandfather was, thinking he could get them things or put in a good word so they could get a job at Hiden Intelligence in the future.

So, maybe Aruto not having many friends was a little his own fault. Now he was twenty two years old, the president and CEO of Hiden Intelligence and he had... like, one friend. Who also happened to be his assistant and secretary. It was fine, honestly! Maybe a little sad, but fine. At least he got along with Izu - though it was hard to tell if it was her personality before (because he knew she'd been his grandfather's secretary first) or if she was just learning from him - which, she definitely was. That's sort of how HumaGear's work and all that, and she'd definitely gotten more... dorky? as time went on. It was kind of like having a younger sibling who picked up things from their older sibling and... Aruto couldn't really complain about that. The only annoying thing about Izu was her explaining his jokes, which she was doing less and less as time went on, and he knew she only did it because HumaGear's tended to be very literal minded.

So yeah, Izu was pretty much Aruto's only friend. Maybe that was why it hurt so much more seeing her get hurt.

Everything was going smoothly - it was just him and Izu, no A.I.M.S around to help him fight the Magia, but it was going fine. And then the Magia aimed an attack off to the side, towards a crying kid that hadn't run away, and Aruto couldn't move fast enough to get there in time.

Izu could though. 

Aruto immediately jerked in her direction, letting out a cry. "Izu!" He hesitated, because the Magia was still there, but then a black and white van with A.I.M.S on the side pulled up, tires squealing, and that made his decision for him.

He dropped his transformation as Fuwa and Ms. Yaiba were getting out of the van, and he paid no mind when he heard Fuwa yell "Hiden?" after him. He had more important matters to attend to - making sure Izu, his friend, was okay.

"Izu? Izu!?" The fight started up again behind him but he could barely hear it over the pounding of his heart.

The kid scrambled up and away and Aruto noticed, glad that he was okay but conflicted. If the kid hadn't been there, Izu wouldn't have jumped in front of him to protect him and gotten hurt herself.

She was on her knees, having dropped down to better protect the kid. Her jacket was ripped across the back and he could see parts of her wiring exposed, blue blood - coolant - staining her outfit, and he had to force his eyes away, looking to her face instead as he rounded in front of her and dropped to his own knees.

"Izu?" His voice shook, he knew it did. At the very least she had moved to cover the kid with her body, which meant the injury was on her back, which meant he didn't have to see it.

"President Aruto?" Her voice sounded a little distorted and she sounded pained, but she was speaking which was a good sign, right? But then again, his dad had been able to speak but hadn't made it so maybe it wasn't much of a sign at all.

(It would be fine. It was a completely different situation. It wasn't going to be like it was during the Daybreak Accident, where there was no one around to help. Izu would be _fine_.)

There was an explosion of sorts, which caused Aruto to flinch (and Izu to try and lean towards him, as if to protect him too) but a glance over Izu's shoulder told him it was just Fuwa and Ms. Yaiba finishing off the Magia. He looked back at Izu and felt his heart sink.

She looked confused, like she wasn't quite sure what had happened and that... that definitely couldn't be a good sign, right?

"Izu?" She looked up at him when he spoke, which meant she was still aware, but he wasn't sure how long that might last. "Can you assess your injuries?" Hopefully it was just superficial and that she'd be fine. If the damage to her body was too great they could upload her into a new one, as long as it was _just_ damage to her body and not to her memory and things like that.

Izu stayed quiet for a moment but in the way that Aruto knew meant she was thinking, so he tried to keep from panicking - or panicking anymore than he already was.

"What happened?" Ms. Yaiba and Fuwa hadn't made too much noise, so Aruto had to admit he jumped a little again. He looked from Izu's face up to both of them. Even if Fuwa didn't like HumaGear's, at least he had the decency to look a little worried (whether it was about Izu or about Aruto, he didn't care.) Ms. Yaiba didn't look worried, per se. Concerned might have been a better word.

"Damage is mostly superficial. Repairable." Izu spoke before Aruto could, making eye contact with him. "The proper channels have been informed and are on their way."

Aruto felt himself relax and leaned forward, into Izu, resting his head on her shoulder for a moment.

"Thank goodness." It was quiet, but he had no doubt that Izu heard him. He sat up again and gave her a rather shaky smile. "I can't lose you too." Izu blinked once, and tilted her head slightly.

"Too?" Aruto heard Fuwa say, not loudly, but loud enough for him to hear it.

He nodded, reaching for one of Izu's hands before he looked up. She didn't hold his hand back, but she also didn't pull away (she seemed a little confused, honestly, based on the blinking.)

"My dad died when I was little. He was sick for a long time and he had gramps make a HumaGear version of him, to look after me when he finally passed away." He paused, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment (it had been twelve years but it was still so hard to think about, let alone _talk_ about.) He squeezed Izu's hand, and looked up at her in surprise when she squeezed back. He managed a smile at her, and he thought he saw Izu's lips quirk too but he wasn't quite sure. "Dad, the HumaGear version of him, died at Daybreak Town. There was an explosion and he was protecting me." His voice broke a little at the end but he managed to get it out, which was more than could be said some other times he tried to talk about it. It wasn't common, but sometime he had to explain some things - like why he hated those birthday candles that made the flame burn blue or why he couldn't stand to see a HumaGear's skin torn away.

Fuwa looked torn, like he wasn't quite sure how to react, while Ms. Yaiba was as professional as always.

"So what happened here?" She asked. Aruto was grateful for her getting them back on track, not having to say anything more about his dad. He didn't particularly want to think about Izu being hurt either, but she was in front of him. He was holding her hand, she was still aware, and she said the damage was repairable with people coming to help as they spoke. It was easier.

"Magia aimed an attack at a kid who hadn't run away. Izu was closer." He almost wanted to shrug it off but on the other hand, Fuwa was constantly saying HumaGear's were the enemy, that they were killing machines and all that. It rather pissed Aruto off and anything he could say that would maybe make Fuwa question that belief was something worth being said in his opinion.

"It is easier for me to be repaired than it is for President Aruto." Izu stated, and that made Aruto frown a little.

"Doesn't matter. It hurts to see you hurt." He said, refusing to look anywhere but her eyes while he spoke. "You're my friend, my sister even. I don't want to see you hurt. I can't lose you, Izu."

Izu blinked again, and this time she definitely smiled. "President Aruto, you won't lose me." He almost wanted to make her promise, but he knew there was a chance she wouldn't be able to keep that promise. Just hearing her say it was enough, for now at least. He'd just have to do his best to make sure Izu was never in position where she would get hurt again.


End file.
